Kaon
by crimson chocolate
Summary: Bumblebee is trapped in Kaon again, except this time he is alone. He'll have to escape using his own knowledge and the mechs around him, or he'll perish in the dark jail that he thought he had escaped from for good. Based in between the story lines of War for Cybertron and Fall of Cybertron.
1. Chapter 1

_**KAON**_

**Chapter 1**

"I'm in Kaon, aren't I?"

Those were the first words that he had spoken after finally bringing himself from the haze of unconsciousness. It was something that the small mech had realized before he even gained enough energy to online his optics. Kaon brought up this feeling inside him, something uncomfortable yet familiar, though with a constant presence of terror. It was a feeling that, after being felt for the first time not too long ago, he knew he would never forget.

The dank cell with a faint purple glow, the unpleasant odor of leaked energon and other fluids drifting into his olfactory sensors, the distant screaming- they simply helped to affirm his conclusion.

To the right of him there was another mech, not exactly hovering over him, but close enough to provide some sort of comfort from the fear or confusion that was probably expected of him. This unknown mech looked surprised at the calm, though somewhat hoarse words, arms folding over his faded red chassis.

There was silence for a long moment, and turning his head slightly the mech who had just awoken watched as the other mech looked over him with such intensity that if it were any stronger it might have been a scan. He looked for answers in the other's form, as if somewhere on his small, scraped frame would inform him as to why this mech was so informed and calm- why he was different from every other lost, trembling mech that he had seen brought into the prison.

The mech's yellow chassis provided nothing, neither did those bright blue optics, and so the red mech finally asked, "Have you been to Kaon before?"

The yellow mech shifted and sat up, hissing a bit as the movement provided an informative neural response that told him that his left shoulder had been pretty heavily damaged and that the rest of him was in a better but still rather banged up state.

The red mech shifted a bit closer at the sound, one servo almost reaching towards him, though it stopped before it reached him. The smaller mech smiled a bit as he recognized the gesture that the other had almost made, one of intended comfort, and briefly he wondered if the other was a medic, or had a similar job that included such sympathetic feelings.

Then he remembered that this comforting mech had asked him a question, so he quickly replied, "Yes. Do you know of the prison break that happened a while ago?"

He watched as the other mech's eyes lit up a bit as he remembered and said, "Yes, I do recall that. Right before Optimus Prime became a "prime" he led an enormous prison break, using the Decepticon's own ships as a means to escape. It was a great victory for the Autobots." The red mech then paused for a moment, seeing the implications the smaller mech had presented with his question. "You were there, then? For the jailbreak?"

The yellow mech smiled a bit sardonically as he recalled that time and the roll that he played in the break. He remembered traveling through the enormous prison, fighting the guards alongside his comrades- the feeling of joy as Optimus interacted with the main system and opened all the cells, returning the Autobots' freedom.

"Yeah, I was there," the small mech replied, simply. As the red mech thought this over, the other took the time to finally really look around the cell, and it was just as unpleasant as he expected. Splatters and grime covered nearly all space available on the metallic walls and floor. Broken parts, wires, tubing, random limbs- all sorts of unpleasantries were scattered along the edges of the room.

Tucked in one relatively clean corner there was another mech, large and green, who leaned against the wall in a way that made it seem like there was no place else he'd rather be. His faceplates told a different story, however, as there was an expression of defiance and a gleam in his dark blue optics.

The yellow mech caught hold of that expression, and those optics met with his own lighter blue. His defiance- his strength- was heartening, the smaller mech found, and he gave the other a warm, curious smile. It was to the red mech's surprise, after having only firm, defensive conversations with the mech even though they had spent much time together in the cell, seeing the smile that the green mech gave in return.

After glancing around the room briefly once more, the yellow mech finally turned his gaze upon his own damaged shoulder. The metal armor there was crushed, the finger shaped denting telling the tale itself of the brute who had grabbed him. Similar yet less severe dents on his lower chassis only further told the story.

"That looks painful," the red mech said. After getting over his initial surprise at the differences in the small, yellow mech, it seemed that his protective programming kicked in just as it always did.

"It's fine," the injured mech replied, hesitantly feeling the damage with his other servo and internally checking for a damage report. However, the yellow mech was far from a medic, and beside the number of error responses his internal systems provided, the only thing he could confidently conclude about the injury, was that it hurt to touch, and even more to move.

The red mech watched the others movements, and recognized the frustrated and pained look that emerged on the smaller mech's faceplates a moment later.

"Allow me...?" He offered when the injured mech removed his servo from his damaged shoulder. "I have a bit of medical training."

The bright blue optics glanced up, a bit surprise at the offer, but the small yellow helm nodded an affirmative and the damaged shoulder was extended toward him a bit.

Very carefully, the red mechs larger servos physically mapped the wound, searching for weak parts of the armor or any leaking fluids. Then he took a scan, using his knowledge to determine a diagnosis.

"Well, you're not oozing energon, and the scan does not show any ruptured energon lines, so that's good." The red mech began, eyeing his readings before looking up a bit farther to meet the gaze of the injured mech. "However, it is not impossible that you damage or rupture one on part of the crumpled armor. Try not to move it, and definitely do not transform until your self repair systems have repaired the sensors and the metal back in a less crumpled state."

The yellow mech looked down at the floor during the red mech's proclamation, but upon its conclusion he looked back up, met the others optics, and thanked him. Then the injured mech stood, quickly gaining his balance and stepped towards the only wall with bars. He refrained from touching them, seeing the coating of dried energon on them, but attempted to peer around to the best of his ability, scoping out his surroundings.

"Planning to escape?" An unfamiliar voice asked with a cynical kind of humor, and the yellow mech turned, realizing that it was the green mech who had spoken.

"Yes," he replied, meeting the dark blue optics again. "Getting captured was not part of the plan; I cannot remain imprisoned here."

"You think because you got out once you can get out again?" This time it was the red mech that spoke, and in a hopeful rather than disbelieving voice, the reminder of the initial jailbreak having been somewhat inspirational.

"Yes," the yellow mech said again, turning back toward the bars. "Do you know how deep in this cell is? Or did you enter the prison unconscious as well?"

"Pretty deep," the green mech provided. "It took us quite a bit of traveling to get to this cell from the entrance."

"Deep enough to require a crawler for entrance?" The yellow mech asked, mentally recalling the use of the large mechanized transportation device that crawled down the walls. It seemed that the majority of the cells were on the lower levels, however his original journey had included an impromptu teleportation to a cell, so he could not be certain if they had remained on the same level.

"No," the red mech chimed in. "Not that deep. Though we are on the lowest floor of the highest level of this part of the prison. If we were going to go any lower then it would have to be by crawler."

Not everything was going wrong, the yellow mech realized as the other's statement gave him a feeling of relief. The deeper he was, the more difficult it would be to escape.

"Are you making that plan of yours already?" The green mech asked, with equal parts sardonic humor as curiosity.

"Yes," the yellow mech replied, moving back further into the cell and sitting down again not far from the red mech. "The sooner the better, though with this arm I'm going to have to wait a while. My plan may need some transforming."

"Well, you shouldn't have to wait too long," the red mech reassured, his comforting attitude proving to the small mech that the other did not believe that escape was impossible.

"Hey, kid, what's your name?" the green mech rumbled, and the yellow mech smirked a bit at the "kid" part; he really was a kid. But coming from this mech, he felt as though the word was a term of respect rather than a demeaning one.

The green mech waited patiently as the small, young mech gave him a small grin, his bright blue optics glowing a bit brighter as he answered the question.

"Bumblebee."


	2. Chapter 2

Well I'm still new to posting things, this is my first multi-chapter fic. I honestly have no idea how to make those page break thingies, and I'm pretty sure I skipped the disclaimer last chapter… oops… So I don't own Transformers or anything…. Thanks and I hope you enjoy!

**Chapter 2**

Bumblebee watched his cell mates curiously as they learned his name, curious as to what their reaction may be. Though he was not as famous as Optimus Prime, or Ratchet, or even Sideswipe, his consistent presence within their "inner circle" along with his continued participation in main battles was slowly making him a well known mech.

However, it seemed that none of the stories, rumors, or reports had reached the two mechs with him in the cell as no light of recognition shone in their optics.

"Bumblebee," the red mech said it curiously, as though he was testing the name rather than trying to recall something.

"Yes," the yellow mech confirmed with a small smile, "Though you can call me Bee if you like."

_The less who know the better, _Bee thought. Though he did not exactly want to be secretive to his fellow Autobots, his chances were much better if the Decepticons thought he was just a normal mech just like the others. If they discovered that he was intimately connected with the Autobot's higher ups, getting out would be the least of his worries.

"So, Bee," The green mech did not hesitate to use the smaller mech's proffered nickname. "How did you end up in this Primus forsaken pit-hole twice?"

For a moment the yellow mech searched his meta for an excuse, then remembering the raid they had staged to get captured, smoothly replied, "The first time a couple other Autobot and I were raiding supplies not too far from Kaon. The Decepticons got the drop on us and we were captured."

"Raiding supplies?" To Bumblebee's amusement the red mech actually sounding a bit reproaching. "Why would you do that? Especially so close to Kaon!"

"The refugee's need energon to survive too," The yellow mech replied calmly, honest sadness slightly present in his optics. He had never raided supplies to give to the refugees or neutrals- but he would do it in a spark pulse.

The red mech seemed appeased and a bit saddened as well at that, but the other mech still leaning against the wall asked, "How about this time?"

Bumblebee had actually been wondering that himself- not having the memory immediately recalled in his memory banks was a bit alarming and he frowned, trying to think of it.

"You don't remember?" The red mech asked hesitantly, worry once again present in his vocals.

"No...I'm thinking... I- I was on patrol!" The memory came to him suddenly, and he recalled it.

He had been on the edge of a bombing site where there had been one of the more fierce battles to take place between the ground forces in Iacon. It was a desolate place covered in rubble and scattered corpses, and not long after the battle had finished and the Decepticon's retreated was it declared unoccupied by anyone.

Bumblebee was asked to scout out the area again to confirm this conclusion at the end of his patrol. When the mech had arrived, the largest of the fires were still smoldering, but other than the faint flickering of sparking architecture and the slowly rising smoke, nothing had moved. The yellow scout had gone further into the battlefield but nothing had presented itself, and he was about to return to base to reaffirm the site's vacancy when he heard voices echoing through the ruins.

Immediately, he had slipped back and darted behind a large piece of rubble away from the voices, and waited. A few moments later a moderately sized group of Decepticons began picking their way through the rubble, an odd mismatch of mainly ground troops with a few brutes and flyers.

Bumblebee had immediately recognized it as an ambush platoon and was about to make a break for it when he realized that the arielbots would spot him as soon as he left his hiding place if no one else. As he pondered it, a brute had already starting tromping through the rubble closer to his position than was comfortable.

Thinking quickly he decided that alerting the base of this movement would be the only thing that he could do at the moment, and he sent a ping to Optimus Prime's comm. hoping to catch him. An immediate pre-programmed response informed him that his leader was currently in an important meeting.

_Battle tactics, probably_. The yellow mech barely contained a huff of frustration, before he realized that it could be to his advantage. Ironhide would be at the meeting as well and the old weapon specialist never had complicated rejection settings on his comm. Quickly, the scout pinged the older mech, hoping that whatever they were talking about wasn't so important that he felt he had to listen.

It seemed that fate was on his side- and that the meeting that they were in was exceptionally boring- as Ironhide almost immediately responded.

_"-Bee? Where are you, kid? Still on patrol? Hurry back and save me from this meeting!-"_

The yellow mech almost chuckled, but he forced himself to focus on the severity of the situation. "Ironhide, I have a situation. There's a Decepticon ambush team currently traveling through the wreckage of the battle in delta district toward the gamma outpost."

_"-I'll inform Prime immediately.-" _Bee was thankful for the sudden seriousness in the weapon specialist's voice. _"-Kid, where are you?-"_

"I'm hiding behind the rubble. There's no way I could escape the battlefield without being spotted." The scout was slightly sheepish at his current predicament, but he surveyed the area around him closely, determined not to let it get any worse.

_"-Hang in there, kid! We're getting together a group to ambush their ambush!-"_

Bumblebee was going to send a reply when a shuffle of shards of metal alerted him to the enemy's movement. The brute that was nearby earlier was still close, but not at a proximity that he would suddenly see him, and he almost thought that the entire group would pass him by when one of the arielbots decided to perch on top of the piece of rubble he was hiding beneath.

"Pathetic Autobots will never see us coming," The Decepticon snarled before letting out an ungainly shout as the rubble beneath him began to crumble and he took to the air once more.

Bee was panicking as his hiding place began to crumble and fall above him, and getting out from under it suddenly became more important than avoiding the Decepticons. He had almost dove out of the way when a large piece struck his back, knocking him to the ground and pinning him there. The rest of the structure fell and covered the lower half of his body, and the scout was trapped.

It also seemed that he had been seen, judging by the heavy footsteps coming in his direction through the dust the rubble had kicked up. When the dust had cleared, he found himself staring into the working end of an ion displacer, the ugly faceplate above the gun drawn into a cruel smirk.

"Look what we have here," the brute's voice matched his smirk.

"Aww, it's an itty-bitty Autobot," the arielbot crooned mockingly as he landed beside the brute.

"It seems he's stuck," the brute commented, noticing the large pieces of rubble pinning the small mech down. "Should we help him out?"

The arielbot grinned, the brute reached down, and Bumblebee knew pain. The large servo grabbed him by the shoulder, squeezing him so hard that the metal warped and small gasps of pains forced their way out. Then the brute wrenched him out from under the rubble, grabbing Bee's side with his other servo to prevent him from squirming.

The scout tried anyway, and it was only when the metal in his shoulder creaked and dents appeared on his side that he stopped moving.

"What should we do with him?" The brute asked the arielbot, who appraised the small yellow mech with darkly curious red optics.

"Put him out."

"Ironhide!"Bumblebee commed feverishly, but he never knew if his message had sent as the brute hurtled him into the wreckage and darkness was all he knew.

It seemed that they hadn't put him out permanently, Bumblebee realized distractedly as he sat in the prison cell. He supposed he should be thankful, but his situation could be prove to lead to a worse fate. The scout was curious, though, as to whether or not the weapons specialist received his last comm. There was no way to ask though, as even if his comm. wasn't damaged, Ironhide was certainly way beyond his current communication radius.

"Bumblebee?" The red mech's hesitant voice drew him from his thoughts and he startled a bit, turning to his fellow autobot. wondering how long he had sat there.

"Sorry," the scout gave a sheepish grin. "I was remembering..."

"You were on patrol..." the green mech stated, showing his interest in hearing the rest in his own gruff manner.

"Right!" Bee picked it up. "I was on patrol, when I ran into a Decepticon ambush squad. I tried to hide, but the rubble I was hiding behind gave way and they found me."

"Oh...," The red mech seemed appeased by the story of his capture but the rest of Bee's story seemed to intrigue him. "But you were on patrol though! Did you have special mission parameters? Or-?"

"No, no, no!" The scout was careful not to interrupt the other too quickly and alert them to his lie. He covered himself with the even reply, "It was just a normal patrol scouting the perimeters of nearby battle sites and reporting back to base. It just didn't go like it was planned."

The red mech seemed satisfied with this response, but the yellow mech could see something like suspicion in the green mech's optics. He sat up from his spot against the wall, about to say something, when the sound of heavy footsteps began to echo in the hall.

A few moments later, two large guards were standing outside their cell, preparing to open up the bars.

Bumblebee had a bad feeling about their presence, and when one pointed with a dark servo at him, his spark sank in its chamber.

"You, little yellow, stand up and approach the bars! The rest of you against the wall!" The guard shouted the orders and Bee moved quickly to comply. It wouldn't do well in his plan to resist first thing.

Surprisingly, though, the red mech stood and instead of backing to the wall as the green mech had done, he placed himself firmly in front of Bee.

"You can't take him," the protective autobot growled in a voice that was scarier that the scout imagined he could make. It was a touching gesture, really, it was, but even outside assistance was considered resistance, so Bee stepped in front of the red mech and gently pushed him away.

"Please, just let me go," Bee spoke firmly, his optics pleading with the red mech's to trust him. The other bot hesitated, but then nodded and took a place beside the green mech against the wall.

The yellow mech turned back to the bars just in time for the guards to shock him with a rod. He hissed in pain and swayed, but the guards seized the moment, bound him in energy bonds, and pulled him out of the cage.

Roughly they shoved him down the hall, and he trudged along as best as he could, internally trying to find hope when it was all too clear that that day could be his very last.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for the reviews~ They make me happy~ So, as requested, here is the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I didn't own it last chapter, and it hasn't changed!

**Chapter 3**

His first thought was more like a prayer that the Decepticons did not immediately take him to the smelting pits. He had seen others- fellow Autobots- dropped into those boiling vats, screaming in agony until they sank beneath the glowing surface.

There was no escape- no mercy- from such a death.

His second thought was much more reassuring as he realized he hadn't done anything to provoke the Decepticons to immediately execute him. Being on patrol when captured, even at the sight of a former battle was not enough to determine him to be an officer nor anything other than an average troop.

He also supposed that he had his size on his side; Decepticon's tended to relate size with strength, and Bee was pretty small even by the Autobot's standards.

These thoughts tumbled around in Bumblebee's meta as he was lead through the prison to places unknown, but most likely unpleasant.

The yellow scout kept his helm bowed somewhat submissively, but his optics were alert as he visually scanned his surroundings, trying to memorize the way.

His bright blue optics glanced about the cells they walked past and a pang of sorrow jolted through his spark at their miserable conditions. However, there were less Autobots in the jail and some empty cells; a reminder of their previous victory and a fact that boosted his spirit.

"Keep moving!"

Apparently the yellow mech had slowed a bit during his observations, so the large guard behind him grabbed him roughly by his injured shoulder and shoved him forward.

Bumblebee could not contain a choked sound of pain as he stumbled briefly, falling to one knee. He got to his peds quickly enough and hurried forward, not wanting to give the guard another reason to harm him.

A blue Autobot in a cell caught his optics as he passed, and the yellow mech saw defiant anger on his faceplates, agitated at the guard's treatment of his fellow Autobot.

There was little comfort or reassurance the scout could offer, so he simply gave the blue mech a small, grateful smile before he was led around the corner and out of sight.

ooooooo

There was an unpleasant, tank-churning kind of nostalgia present in Bumblebee as he was shoved into the room.

He had seen rooms like this- interrogation rooms- lined with tables with claws and prods and other unpleasant devices attached.

Beside each was a console through which the interrogators manipulated the tables and torturing devices, tables like the one Bumblebee was being strapped to.

He could hear the agonized moans and echoing screams- he could practically feel the fear and the death all around him. The scout was terrified, but he easily contained it inside, forcing himself to control his emotions and debating how much fear he should show to best support his escape plan.

He decided to go with a pretending to be brave kind of attitude, which he began by whimpering a bit when his presumed interrogator slammed a servo down on the table near his helm. The yellow mech was internally grateful that the Decepticon hadn't immediately started with the machine.

"Autobot, state your function in the Autobot army."

Bumblebee quickly thought it over and decided that telling the truth would most likely benefit him in the situation.

"I-I'm a scout," he managed in a voice of false bravado, or at least it sounded false, though the yellow mech felt reasonably confident still.

"What were you doing at the Delta District battlefield?"

Ah, the truth was a good idea. Bee had no idea what he would have said if he had earlier replied that he was a soldier or something else.

"I was scouting," the scout replied.

"For what?!" The Decepticon growled, irritated at the yellow mech pointless and unexplained answer.

"A-anything! Survivors, supplies, enemies..."

"Who gave you the orders?!" The interrogator snarled.

Optimus did, but Bumblebee wasn't going to tell the Decepticon that. That would definitely give away his relations with Autobot higher ups. Even saying Ironhide or Jazz would be too risky; they were lieutenants also in the inner circle. Who did normal troops get orders from anyway?

His answer took too long for his interrogator, who growled and turned up a digital dial on the console. Electricity seared through Bumblebee's armor, frying a few minor conduits and damaging his nervous sensors. He writhed in pain but bit back all but a low hiss.

"Who gave you the order?!" The interrogator demanded again.

"M-my p-platoon leader," the yellow mech choked out, his stuttering not entirely voluntary. The decepticon seemed appeased response, but his next question was less along the chain of information Bee was giving him.

"What did Optimus Prime hope to gain by scouting out the battlefield?"

Bumblebee shuttered his optics in confusion before replying, "I don't know. I was just following orders."

This earned him another, longer electrocution that left him twitching in pain.

"I-I don't know! It's n-not my p-place to know!"

"Lies!" The Decepticon reached over and pulled a lever and one of the pincher like tools began to descend from where it was poised above the table. Bee squirmed but his bonds held him down. The pointed claw-like device went to the joint where his upper left arm met the lower part, and it wedged itself through the seams of his armor, slicing any cables available. The scout gasped and coolant and energon began to drip down onto the table.

"T-there was an ambush," Bee spat out, trying to prevent further damage that might hinder his escape.

"An ambush?" the Decepticon moved the pincher away.

"Yes, w-we were planning an ambush through the battlefield and I was scouting to make sure the path was clear." This wasn't entirely a lie. There _was _ an ambush but it had- hopefully- taken out the Decepticon ambush that was headed through the battlefield first.

The interrogator seemed to ponder this for a moment, and another Decepticon approached him. They spoke quietly for a few moments, and Bumblebee strained to hear them, activating an especially sensitive part of his audio's that was specially designed for scouting. The first thing that he heard however seemed to pause his hearing altogether, echoing in his mind

"Soundwave will return." The statement made him feel as if his internals were frozen.

Soundwave was the Decepticon's communications expert, one that Bee had fought with during the first prison break. If that Decepticon were to see him, his death would be guaranteed.

The scout tried to boost his audio's as much as possible, desperate to hear any information that may prove vital. Soundwave couldn't be returning at that very moment could he?

The words "two days" were bittersweet when he extracted them from the conversation. They confirmed that he wasn't to be condemned to death by the Decepticon communications expert today, but was two days long enough for him to form and go through with his escape plan?

It had to be, Bumblebee decided, forcing away fear with determination.

It was then that the yellow mech noticed his interrogator was once again staring down at him.

_Back to torture, _the scout thought grimly only to be pleasantly surprised as the Decepticon began removing his bonds.

"This one's had enough for today," his interrogator growled, tossing the freed mech to a pair of guards. "Escort the little scout back to his cell."

Bumblebee heavily staggered before sinking to his knees. A combination of electrocution, some energon loss, and being suddenly tossed was not good for his stabilizers.

The guards wasted no time, each grabbing the small yellow mech by a shoulder as they began dragging him away.

The sensory input from his injured left arm flared at the strain and for a moment almost put Bee into stasis, but he forced himself from the haze of pain. He distracted himself by making a game of guessing the path back to his cell, and was surprised to find that he knew a majority of the way.

When he passed the cell where he had seen the blue mech earlier, he saw no one, and briefly the scout wondered if he'd ever see the other mech again, though he cycled his vents and quickly dismissed the idea.

His escorts eventually reached his cell, and when they did, they dropped him in front of it, opened the bars, and roughly kicked him inside. He kept his optics offlined and lay there pitifully until their ped-steps signified their departure.

"Bee!" The red mech's voice was as worried as before as he knelt down beside the injured mech, grabbing him with gentle servos.

"Well, that was fun," Bumblebee deadpanned as he onlined his optics and sat up with a vigor that startled the red mech. The green mech still propped against the wall was surprised too, if the little bit of expression on his normally impassive faceplates was anything to go by.

"Are you okay?! I thought for a moment that you were offlined!" The red mech spoke, still looking the yellow mech over.

"I'm fine, my arm just hurts."

And his chassis, and his helm, and every other part of his body, but the red mech was worried enough as it was.

"Don't move," the larger mech ordered, shoving Bee back down against the floor as he analyzed the injured arm. The scout cycled his vents in exasperation then smiled and turned his gaze to the green mech across the room.

"Did _you_ miss me?" He couldn't help but ask a bit cheekily, and he grinned at the lopsided smirk that the green mech gave him in return.

"Can you move this plate of armor?" the red mech's voice distracted Bee and he turned to look at where the mech was pointing.

It was a plate above the connecting joint and- with some difficulty from his partially fried sensory array- he managed to slide the plates aside and give the red mech access to the damaged internals.

"Hmm," the improvised medic analyzed them for a few minutes before stating, "Most of your damaged and severed lines are already redirecting. Leakage of fluids should cease in a matter of minutes."

"Great!" Bumblebee sat up quickly, much to the red mech's chagrin. He then stood up, only swaying the slightest bit before he walked to the front of the cell. He stared at the bars in thought, reevaluating all his previous ideas with his new information and time constraint.

"How's your plan going, Bee?" The green mech's voice pulled him from his thoughts a few minutes later. Bee glanced at him for a moment, then decided.

"I have a plan, but I also have a time limit and I need to know whether you two are going to help me pull it off."

The green mech looked surprised for a moment. Then he grinned, gave a hearty laugh and said, "Kid, anything's better than sitting in this cell. I'm in."

Bumblebee smiled in relief; cooperation may be the only way that he could get out. But the red mech had yet to give him confirmation, and both he and the green mech turned to look at him.

The red mech stared at the floor, deep in thought, looking worried as usual. Bee could almost feel the coming rejection.

"Will you get hurt?" The red mech finally asked and Bee nodded, not willing to lie.

"It is very likely."

"Then I'm coming with you." Bee looked at the red mech in surprise, the other giving him a grin. "I can't just let you go out and get hurt again. That goes against everything I believe in."

Bumblebee gave him a brief warm smile, but quickly his features took on an expression of severity and he nodded.

"This is the plan."


	4. Chapter 4

So, I suppose I should explain about the red and green mechs. They aren't any canon characters, because I don't think I know any other characters well enough to do them justice. See, I really don't like OCs, but because Bee's alone in this, there aren't supposed to be any other canon characters to help him, I had to make a few. Not knowing them is part of the battle of working with them. I felt like giving them names would make them annoying or something… Thinking about it now I don't think it would really matter… But alas they shall have no names.. Unless someone feels like naming them for me. Because I don't want to.

**Chapter 4**

"Here, you can use this." The green mech looked surprised at the knife Bumblebee had pulled out of subspace. The mech tested his new weapon as the scout turned to the red mech with an apologetic expression, "Sorry, I don't have another."

"It's okay," the red mech assured. "I probably wouldn't do much good with a weapon anyway."

Bee shot him an amused look before taking a seat and leaning against the wall of the cell. The other two mechs followed his example, the red mech sitting right beside him while the green mech sprawled not too far away.

"Now we wait."

It seemed that guards came at the least desirable time possible. They would show up at the worst moments, and if by any chance you actually wanted them to pass by, they wouldn't.

At least, that's what Bee thought about it after waiting for hours.

It had been quite a while since he and his cell mates had their little chat, and still the desired guards hadn't shown. The scout glanced and noticed that while the green mech was as relaxed as usual, lounging against the wall, the red mech still beside him was looking a bit jittery and nervous.

"I think my arm has stopped breaching," Bumblebee commented, successfully attracting the mech's attention. The red mech moved over and examined the smaller mech's arm, noticing the dry trails of energon across the yellow plating.

"Yes," the improvised medic conformed. "Your arm is dong better." His servo climbed the smaller mech's arm to his shoulder. "This hasn't changed much. It would be better if I could pound the dents out, but I-"

"Quiet!" the green mech's hiss made them both jump. "Someone's coming."

Instantly, there was silence in the cell and the sound of ped-steps echoes clearly in the corridors. Bumblebee stood up and quietly dashed to the edge of the cell peering through the bars. When he saw a pair of guards turn the corner, signifying their inevitable passing before their cell, he grabbed a chunk of metal from its resting place on the floor.

As the pair of Decepticons passed by, they were disrupted by this piece of metal hitting one in the chassis then ricocheting to hit the other in the faceplates.

"Nice throw," the green mech commented and Bumblebee laughed.

"You insolent little Autobot, do you know what you've just done?!" the Decepticon holding a servo over a breaching scratch on his faceplates growled, stepping to face the cell.

"Well I just hit you in the face. Do you want me to do it again?" Bee chirped in a taunting voice.

"You are in no position to threaten us, little mech," the other Decepticon snarled, glaring with cold red optics.

The scout laughed and replied, "Why don't you come in here and say that to my face?"

The Decepticons seemed to like this idea and they approached the cell menacingly, one Decepticon moving to the control panel to open it while the other waited. As soon as the bars slid away he stomped in the direction of Bee.

The yellow mech put a fake expression of horror on his face and backed up, as if he didn't think they would actually rise to his provocation. The red and green mechs just remained against the walls wondering if the plan was working or falling to pieces before them.

The first Decepticon reached for the scout and, in a movement that neither of the other Autobot's could really follow, Bee rolled between the 'Con's legs before springing up at the other enemy behind him. His right servo was suddenly holding a glowing red sword that he promptly used to decapitate the second Decepticon.

Then, as the first 'Con turned around, Bumblebee twisted as well and plunged his sword into the larger mech's spark.

Everything was still and silent for a second before the yellow mech pulled his weapon out and the lifeless bodies fell to the floor around him. In a motion that almost seemed casual, the scout flicked the sword, ridding the blade of the energon that coated it, before finally the sword retracted back into his arm.

He hovered over the closest 'Con's body, briefly scanning the mech's arm to analyze what weapon his servo was capable of taking the form of. In a few moments, he managed to separate the weapon from both of his fallen foes systems and after integrating one with his own, he moved to stand beside his comrades, handing each their own gun.

"Let's go," Bee said firmly before moving to the now open cell entrance. The green mech quickly moved to follow him but the red mech was not so eager, glancing at the weapon in his servos and then to the dead bodies that they had been taken from.

"We need to get moving," the scout urged him to hurry, glancing around wariness, pausing only when he noticed the red mech was just staring at him. "What is it?"

"It's just- I never thought…" The red mech trailed off taking anther quick look at the fallen Decepticons.

Bumblebee cycled his vents and quickly walked up to the red mech, looking up into the other's optics before saying, "Killing is not something that I appreciate nor enjoy, but I need to get out of here. It is not something I would consider doing lightly- this is a matter of our own life and death. So, please, forgive me, come with me, and we might survive together."

The red mech said nothing, just looked at the yellow mech's damaged arm briefly before meeting his bright blue optics. He nodded, "Lead the way."

Bee smiled and beckoned the other mech to follow him before turning and exiting the cell. For a few moments, the scout messed with the cell controls before they slid shut behind them.

Their movement through the hallways was very careful; they avoided troops, cameras, or anything else that would alert the Decepticons to their escape.

"We're going to free them all, right?" The red mech asked softly as they passed by a few cells. Most of the mechs inside did not even notice the small group's liberated status, a sign of their suffering.

"Yes," Bee confirmed, "we're on our way to the main control room now."

The group paused before a console that would open a door, one that likely had troops behind it, and they took their time to ready their weapons.

Bee was about to go over and activate the console when a servo reached through some bars and grabbed his arm. He jumped, pulling away and twisting to see that it was a white Autobot trapped in a nearby cell that had grasped him. The imprisoned mech seemed unperturbed by the yellow mech's reaction as he beamed down at him.

"You're Bumblebee!" the white mech exclaimed happily and proceeded to salute the small mech.

The fact that the other mech had heard of him would normally have made Bee a bit happier, but due to the urgency of the situation, it only annoyed him that he would have to explain himself to his comrades who were staring at him in confusion.

"Bee? Why is he saluting you?" the red mech asked, bewildered, and beside him the green mech was starting to look suspicious. The scout quickly tried to think of a way to answer the question.

"I may or may not be… kind of… one of Optimus Prime's lieutenants," he managed, less than eloquently.

"What?!" The red mech's optics widened.

"How can you "kind of" be a lieutenant?" the green mech asked more calmly.

"Well, I take orders directly from Optimus, and I'm in their inner circle, but I haven't been officially named a lieutenant," Bee explained.

"Don't worry! You will!" the white mech encouraged.

"That doesn't matter!" For the first time the scout's voice was sounding almost irritated. He cycled his vents and added, "If I can't get us out of here, being promoted will be the least of my worries."

Bee had managed to get them safely this far, but they had yet to encounter even a small group of troops. The last time he was in Kaon, it hadn't mattered that the Decepticon's knew of their escape almost immediately. With Optimus and Sideswipe with him, they were able to take out countless Decepticons. Now, only the green mech had any semblance of combat experience, and he had lost that brute force advantage that would have let them charge through. They had to be careful if they even wanted to make it through the next room.

"Bumblebee?" the red mech put a servo on his shoulder, and he met the optics of the other mech.

"We have to get going," the scout replied, moving over to the console. "Get ready to fire."

He inserted his servo into the interface. As soon as he had accessed the door opening application and detached from it, he sprang back and readied his weapon.

The door opened only to reveal a scant three Decepticons who Bee finished off with three quick, precise shots to the helm.

"It seems Primus is on our side," the red mech said happily as the three walked into the room. Unlike his companion, the scout felt a sudden unease fill him and he reached out and grabbed the red mech by the arm.

He gestured to a adjoining room and said, "I need you to hide out in this storage room."

"What?! No! I'm going with you!" The red mech protested. "What if you get hurt and-"

"What if _you_ get hurt?!" Bee interrupted. "There's no way I have enough medical expertise to save you. I'm a fighter and this next fight will be tough. If we win, we'll come and get you so we can escape together." At the end of his explanation the scout stared up at the other mech, willing him to see reason.

At a short length, the red mech cycled his vents and replied, "Okay."

What would happen if they lost the battle ahead was a question that remained unspoken and equally unanswered.

ooooooo

"Just one more turn and there will be a lift. Once we ride up we should be at the door to the central command room." Bumblebee explained quietly to the green mech beside him. The larger mech nodded, but then he paused and shot the scout an unsure look.

"How are we supposed to take on a whole room of Decepticons by ourselves?" he asked.

Bee grinned and took something out of subspace, tossing it to the other mech. The green mech recognized it to be a grenade.

"Ah, that would help," he commented with a matching grin as the smaller mech took out his own grenade.

A few minutes later the Decepticon's standing at their monitors in the hallway discovered the effectiveness of the grenades the hard way when the green mech's toss took out at least three mechs and greatly damaged or disoriented the rest in the area.

"Finish those ones!" Bee ordered, giving a brief gesture to the unsteady Decepticons attempting to stand and arm themselves before darting through them, tossing a grenade into the main console area at the end of the hallway. As those enemies perished in the second explosion, he dashed back and helped the green mech finish off the rest.

In a few moments, the room was clear and both mechs stepped up to the main console, momentarily distracted by the layout of the entire prison mapped out on a large monitor nearby.

"Look," Bumblebee pointed. "There are still some ships in the landing bay that we can use."

The green mech grinned at the scout's enthusiasm then said, "I'll go get our friend now. He's probably beside himself with worry." The mech then turned to leave the room.

Bumblebee approached the main console and stepped onto it, immediately liking up with the mechanism. He concentrated, searching the functions of the device, looking for the application that would open up all the jail cells simultaneously. So engrossed was he in his search that he missed the metallic clang of a mech hitting the floor.

A moment later, the scout had found what he was searching for. Through the link he reached for it, the switch that would free his fellow Autobots, when without warning a loud, keening sound burst through his audios, completely disorienting him. The scout was forcefully torn from the console, the abrupt and unplanned termination of his uplink causing damage to his systems.

The entire sensation was not unlike being hit with a stun grenade, with static flashing across his optics, his auditory sensors fluctuating, and his stabilizers so unbalanced that he felt dizzy lying on the floor- except this was much worse and much more intense. Bee had felt this before, this unpleasant unsteadying sensation, and it was something that only one mech he knew could induce.

Bumblebee forced his optics to focus, and they did long enough for him to see the dark blue mech towering over him. And the deep red visor.

Soundwave.

ooooooo

AN: So in the book Exodus, which details the war on Cybertron, Bee is one of the lieutenants. In WfC and FoC they aren't so specific, thought they do say he's the head spy and scout in Fall of Cybertron. So I kinda made Bee have the position of a lieutenant, but he hasn't been formally promoted yet.

To my readers, your reviews are magical and they make feel warm and fuzzy on the inside.

Jamocha101 Your reviews are so amazing that if I could figure out what to say, I would write a review for them.

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

This was not supposed to be happening. His plan wasn't meant to fail. He had not even imagined the possibility that he was going to be captured by Soundwave. Soundwave wasn't supposed to be there.

He wasn't meant to die like this.

Bumblebee's thoughts were a tangled web of pain and despair. He wasn't cognitive enough to think more complex thoughts- as soon as his meta had unscrambled and his sensory arrays reset, Soundwave would blast him again with those paralyzing waves of sound that were his namesake.

Running into Soundwave, or rather, having the communications expert disrupt his plan was a worse case scenario, almost as bad as if Megatron himself had captured him. Maybe Soundwave was worse; Megatron would definitely kill him but the communications expert would make it a long, agonizing process.

And with Bumblebee, it was personal. The scout had damaged both the dark blue mech and his cassettes in their previous battle, and Bee was certain that he had seen recognition in that red visor.

Soundwave was currently carrying the yellow mech to some place that he expected to be extremely unpleasant. The scout couldn't exactly tell where, with the consistent mind scrambling sound blasts to the helm, but he found himself to be mostly relieved when the blasting stopped as they reached their destination.

Bumblebee quickly cast his still flickering optics around the room. It was a communications console, he guessed based on the tech and the monitors. His guess was abruptly proven correct when Megatron's visage suddenly appeared on the main monitor.

"-_Soundwave, what is it?-" _The Decepticon leader's deep voice echoed through the room.

"Lord Megatron," Soundwave began in his quavering monotone, "I have captured the Autobot designate: Bumblebee." He held the yellow mech up to the screen.

"_-Hmm… Yes I do recall that little runt, a scout of Optimus Prime?-" _Megatron's voice sounded as pleased as his gruff articulations ever got, and Bee couldn't help but shudder. _Megatron_ knew him. Maybe being well known wasn't worth it.

"Affirmative, Lord Megatron," Soundwave confirmed. "What do you want me to do with him?"

"_-Take him back to your level and torture all he knows out of him. Good work, Soundwave.-"_

The uplink terminated before the communications expert could reply, so he simply turned and left the room. In his arms, a less disoriented scout began to struggle, tugging at Soundwave's larger arms until he was slammed against a wall. His vision became dark, then flickered back to static before he was finally provided with sight, albeit faded. The last thing he saw was the Decepticon's fist descending toward his helm.

oooooo

His first thought after gaining cognitive thought, onlining his optics and recognizing the room was one of dread.

This is the room where we fought Soundwave.

This is the room where Zeta Prime _died._

Bumblebee forced himself not to panic, for panic meant moving and moving meant pain.

"You have regained functioning status." Soundwave's voice permeated the dreadful silence of the room.

"I wouldn't say _functioning_ status," Bee forced his helm up so he could meed that red visor with his own dim optics, a sardonic grin on his faceplates.

"Locomotive status is irrelevant. Cognitive functions are online. Answers can be provided." It was amazing how terrifying Soundwave could be without any emotion in his voice. The communications expert's monotone only made him more difficult to predict.

"Well, what would you like to know, Soundwave? How my day's been going? Because I'm going to say that my stay here was unsatisfactory. I mean-"

Bumblebee's taunts were cut off as Soundwave manipulated the machine that was holding him up. The scout choked out a pained gasp as a damaging surge of energy was applied to each of his limbs, all of which flowed toward his chassis where it ricocheted painfully through his systems.

"Such attitude will not be permitted."

The yellow mech managed a scoff. "A-and what do y-you know about a-attitude? Y-you're an emotionless-"

Another surge more powerful than the last assaulted and he keened briefly, his limbs seizing in agony. A few moments later when it had stopped, he hung here trembling, vocalizing temporarily beyond him. The communications expert took advantage of the silence to ask a few questions.

"Where is the location of the Autobot's main headquarters? What is Optimus Prime's next plan of action?"

Bee looked up slowly, but when he tried to reply all that came out was static. He reset his vocalizer and tried again, succeeding to reply, "H-home b-base? W-wouldn't you like t-to know?"

Soundwave actually looked a bit… annoyed, and when he reached for the console Bumblebee knew he was in for a world of pain. When the surge hit, all he could do was scream until his systems shut down and his vision once again became dark.

When the scout woke up once more, some indefinite amount of time later, Soundwave still stood in front of the console. The Decepticon was inputing something into the device, and the act made Bumblebee flinch for a few moments before he realized that there was no pain- or rather, additional pain- currently assaulting him.

"Were y-you _trying_ t-to kill me? B-Because then y-you'd definitely get n-nothing out of me." The yellow mech could not contain himself, nor would he choose to.

"Near offlining unintentional. Resetting device parameters to account for small size and lessened durability." The communications expert replied.

"Are y-you saying I'm weak?" Bumblebee growled to the best of his ability in his current condition. He was quite agitated that even the high ranking Decepticon would assume his small size would equate to less strength.

"Negative," Soundwave answered surprisingly. "Smaller mass leaves less room for the surge to flow. Build up in chassis is larger and more damaging to main systems."

"Oh," the scout responded, somewhat confused at the partially civil conversation- until yet another much less intense surge went through him. His already damaged sensors and cables make him groan quietly at the pain.

"Setting change an improvement?" Bee supposed this was as close to mocking as Soundwave got.

"Y-yes, definitely," he replied with a shudder. The next surge of energy, though still greatly muted compared to the first ones made him gasp, ventilations heaving.

It wasn't after much more of this that Soundwave realized he would permanently damage the mech's vocals and probably his central processor before he could get him to give him the answers he wanted. It was at that time he chose to make the punishment more external.

Bumblebee was hanging limply in the metal grasp of the machine, every molecule of his being in some state of hurt. His hazy meta had enough focus to realize that the surges had stopped, and his body took whatever time before the next painful shock to try and recuperate.

But there was no next surge, just a large servo grabbing him by the leg and tearing him from the grip of the machine and smashing him into the floor. The scout lay there dazed and perplexed, his recognition of Soundwave still standing over him only adding to the confusion. He shifted in a brief attempt to move when suddenly there was a large, heavy ped atop his chassis, pinning him down.

"G-got t-tired of y-your m-machine?" The small yellow mech barely managed to croak out. The ped on his chassis got heavier until the metal of his chest began to groan under the strain.

"You will answer my questions, Autobot." Soundwave intoned, red visor flashing with unheard anger.

"N-No!" There was a crack as something broke, through the wave of unbearable agony, Bumblebee couldn't tell if it was his armor or something on the inside. His vocalizer, his ventilations- for a moment every part of him, every system seized up. Then a broken, sob-like noise escaped him and his ventilations heaved and whirred, trying to circulate air.

"You are going to die, Autobot," Bee felt something like relief at the words, for they confirmed what he had already realized, and that meant the pain was going to stop. After a few moments of silence in which Soundwave stared down at him as if patiently waiting, the scout's systems righted themselves enough for him to manage a response.

"Y-Yes," he whispered, managing a small grin with the last bit of defiance he could muster. The Decepticon produced a gun and leveled it at the Autobot's head.

And then the Kaon prison's emergency sirens began blaring.


	6. Chapter 6

In my head, Bee is adurable, a word by which I mean both durable, and adorable. Thank you for listening to my nonsense. Carry on.

**Chapter 6**

Soundwave froze, and after a quick glance at Bumblebee, he retracted his weapon and went over to one of the consoles in the room, this one for communication. The dark blue Decepticon opened up a line to the central control room of the prison. The Decepticon on the other end looked haggard and panicked.

"Report," Soundwave ordered immediately.

"T-There's been another prison break, sir. The main console in the prison central control center malfunctioned and released all of the cells. We tried to determine what was wrong with it, but an electrical surge shorted out the main systems," the Decepticon quickly explained.

"Get the situation under control," Soundwave said shortly. "I will be up momentarily."

The communications expert spared another glance at the scout, who remained motionless on the floor before making his departure.

If there was anything that Bee had learned from Jazz, it was definitely to always have a back-up plan. It had taken him a lot of thinking, and a great stretch in his hacking skills, but he had managed to plant the minor virus in the console that acted as a kind of surge conductor. The virus redirected the current of the main console, causing build up of unregulated energy which led to the surge that fried the systems.

Initially, the virus was meant to activate a certain amount of time after he had accessed the cell release control. That hadn't worked out according to plan, but apparently he had done enough, reached far enough into the systems to at least partially activate the cell release. The surge had triggered and even managed to finish the job. The Autobots were released, and the jail break had begun. Not all of his efforts had gone to waste.

Bumblebee was barely conscious, but he recognized the Decepticon's exit and saw it as the opportunity it was. He was alone, unbound. He, too, was free to escape.

At least, he thought he was until he tried to push himself up into a sitting position. Blinding pain shot through his chassis- fluctuating levels of soreness radiated through the rest of his body. With a gasp, he sank back down onto the floor.

He couldn't move, nor could he escape.

His plan may have ensured the freedom of his fellow Autobots, but as it was, it left him there helpless on the floor of Soundwave's lab, alone and not far from the Well of Allsparks.

He tried once more to move, to get up and away- if anything simply out of that horrid room. The pain overwhelmed his weakened systems and he went into an involuntary recharge.

ooooooo

The scout woke to the feeling of servos placed gently on his uninjured arm, and his first thought was that Soundwave had come back to kill him. He could squirm, possibly sit up, but running away was beyond him. Moving at all was really a fruitless effort, so he chose to lie there and face his death.

Only, death didn't come, nor was he strung up in the machine one more. All there was was a soft voice.

"Oh, Bee," That saddened tone was most definitely not Soundwave. Bee forced his optics online to see a familiar face above him, belonging to his previous cell mate.

"W-What are-" The red mech shushed him and the scout easily acquiesced. Talking was beyond unpleasant at this point.

"We have to get you out of here. The rest of the prison is evacuating right now. They said they'd hold the ships, but only until holding off the 'Cons became too difficult."

Seeing the lack of comprehension in the smaller mech's dim optics, the red mech cycled his vents and scooped up the scout in his arms. From his new vantage point in the other's arms Bee spotted console that Soundwave had frequented not more than hours earlier. The scout hardly suppressed a shudder, but beyond the bad memories, something else clicked into place in his meta.

The red mech had just moved to leave the room when Bee managed to protest, "W-wait!"

He squirmed and his startled carrier dropped him. Using the other mech as a crutch, the scout manage to get to his peds and he staggered to the console, one servo covering his damaged chassis.

Upon reaching it he quickly initialized and uplink and began sifting through the information, sending all he felt to be relevant to be downloaded on a peripheral information storage device.

"What are you doing?" The red mech asked impatiently, having followed him to the console. "We have to-"

"S-Soundwave's c-console." Bee rasped, "He's t-the o-optics and audios of 'C-Cons." He had been trapped and tortured in this awful place, he might as well get something out of it.

The larger mech moved beside him to try and protest once more, but paused at seeing the determined expression of the other, as well as the energon dripping down his faceplates. Half a minute later, the scout retracted the memory card and stowed it in subspace. He tried to turn to the other mech, but all he managed was to sink to his knees. The red mech grabbed him once more and headed to the entrance where apparently someone was waiting as a voice greeted them.

"You got him!" A pause, and then the voice was quieter, more reserved. "Is he-?"

"He's online," the red mech's voice came from above Bee's helm. The scout couldn't online his optics at that moment so he just listened, clutching silently to the other mech in pain.

"Thank Primus! He looks-"

"Awful, I know. What do you expect after an entire day with Soundwave?"

Oh, so that's how long he'd been in there. No wonder he felt so horrible.

"Is the lift ready?" The red mech's voice came again.

"Yes, let's hurry."

And suddenly there was a familiar rising sensation and the sounds of lift operations. Bumblebee forced his optics online and cast his flickering gaze around the room. He definitely did not know of the existence of this lift. It wasn't on the map of the prison complex that he had just downloaded.

"Hey," the quieter voice and the gentle touch on his chassis brought his gaze down to where a servo was now resting on him. It was not one of the red mech's, which were currently holding him up so he followed the servo back to its owner and was met with a surprising face.

The blue Autobot he has seen in the cell he had passed by.

"Y-you escaped?" The astonishment in Bee's quavering voice was quite apparent.

"So did you," the blue mech replied warmly.

"G-Got c-captured again," the scout frowned, struggling briefly with the words..

"So we saved you!" This time it was the red mech who replied, shifting to support the yellow mech completely in his arms. Bumblebee grinned weakly up at him, then looked at the blue mech again.

"You have a p-plan?"

The blue mech's voice took on a more serious note as he replied. "We get to the top, blast our way to the ships, then get out of here."

"G-Good plan."

The blue mech let out a brief laugh and amiably thanked the scout. The lift was slowing down.

"We're almost to the top. Be ready." the blue mech cautioned. Then, the doors opened and all of the mechs dove to the floor to avoid being blasted. Bee choked a bit at the sudden onset of pain and the two Autobots beside him quickly dragged him behind a pile of crates.

They peered over the top of their makeshift barricade to see lines of Decepticons shooting at the stragglers trying to board the ships.

"How are we going to get past them?" the red mech asked. Bee stared at the scene for a long moment before turning back to his comrades.

"Rifle?" he asked, glancing between the two.

"I have a rifle," the blue mech replied, and when the scout raised a servo to receive it he protested. "I don't think it's safe for you to fire it in your condition."

"Rifle," Bee repeated more insistently and the blue mech cycled his vents in submission and detached it from his arm, presenting it to the smaller mech.

"I'll t-take out those t-three. W-We r-run to that ship." Bee explained and the other two hesitantly nodded. The smaller mech was thankful for their easy agreement, as they didn't have time for an argument. Integrating the weapon into his systems, he paused for less than a moment to hope his targeting systems were still functional.

The scout hoisted himself up, leveling his rifle on the crates and willing his limbs not to shake as he took aim at the first Decepticon. He fired and the 'Con crumpled and fell, the 'Con closest to him also losing his helm before he could fully turn to investigate. The final 'Con was dropped in a matter of seconds.

Having made them an opening, Bee jumped the pile of crates and ran towards the nearest ship. The red and blue mechs followed his lead, easily passing him at his staggered gait. When they reached the gangplank, they stopped and turned back, beckoning him forward. Bee's optics flickered but he forced himself to keep moving- freedom was so close.

Then, without warning, a crippling but familiar blast of sound tore through him. His audios rang, his vision swam, his senses numbed, and abruptly he was on the floor without noticing the trip he took to get there.

A large servo wrapped around his neck and hoisted him into the air. His optics focused just in time to once again meet with that red visor.

Soundwave had him, and this time, he was going to die.

ooooooo

AN: Soundwave cliff-hangers are the best kind. Unless you're Bee. In which case they are the worst. I actually broke this chapter in two. And added some things…. And changed the fundamentals of Bee's escape.. But that's okay because now he's only _kind of_ a damsel in distress…


	7. Chapter 7

So, for me, I haven't reviewed in like a year. My excuse: UC applications. (I'm going to college next year~) This chapter was encouraged by Chris, a friend at school who yelled at me because I hadn't updated yet.

A brief clarification on the blue mech. He's the one from the prison cell in chapter three, when Bee is being taken to the interrogation room. The white mech is a completely different mech.

Thank you for the wait, and I hope you enjoy.

**Chapter 7**

No. This was not how it was going to end.

Dying was not an option. Neither was remaining imprisoned. He had known it before- how could he have forgotten?

Oh right, Soundwave. The dark mech holding him up by his neck. His disorienting waves of sound had probably temporarily erased the scout's resolve from his mind. But Bumblebee would forget no longer. No matter how broken he was, this was a fight that he could not afford to lose.

He brought his arm up, still in the form of a rifle, and fired almost point blank into the Decepticon's chassis.

Soundwave hadn't been expecting any more resistance, given the state of his prisoner, so the rifle blast caught him off guard. The communications expert recoiled and Bee sailed from his grasp, impacting with the ground roughly. Though it was not fatal, the close range shot blasted the Decepticon's chassis and broke through the armor, leaving a sparking wound.

On the floor once again, Bumblebee's optics were filled with static. He willed them to focus, and for his stabilizers to stop spinning so he could figure out which way was up. Precious seconds passed before he was oriented enough to start crawling toward the ship.

The yellow mech hadn't gotten very far when a firm weight was placed on his legs, stopping him. Bee twisted, trying to get away. This resulted in the scout's chassis releasing an agonizing myriad of pain signals and he gasped and fell still.

Not dying wasn't going well, Bumblebee decided. He tried again to aim his rifle at Soundwave who had pinned him with his superior size and strength. The communications expert kicked his arm away, and the yellow mech couldn't gather the strength to raise it again.

Bumblebee couldn't move so he settled for weakly glowering at Soundwave. In response the communications expert raised his weapon again- the slight trembling of the Decepticon's own arm giving the scout a small sense of satisfaction.

It seemed like he was dying after all. Bee couldn't voluntarily move at all this time, though his entire frame trembled from the relays of damaged sensors. One last time he forced his face into a cocky smile, the only way he could remain truly defiant until the end.

The gun leveled at him again charged and- something barreled into Soundwave, knocking him from atop the scout. Bumblebee saw a flash of green before something collided with his helm and his vision darkened and did not come back.

ooooooo

When he came online again, he didn't know where he was.

He expected to be in the Well of Allsparks, back to the place where he was created not long ago. The enemies had been too tough, the situation too dire, so it was a pleasant surprise to discover that not only was he alive, but on one of the stolen Decepticon ships heading away from Kaon as fast as possible.

At least, it was pleasant until the pain resurfaced, Bumblebee realized there was a crack in his chassis, and he almost wished he was dead.

One of the more medically inclined mechs came over and turned off a large number of sensors, but Bee still longed for Ratchet. He promised himself some quality time with the medic when he got back, settling beside some other mechs to hear the explanation he needed.

Standing beside the red mech- who hovered worriedly not far from him- was another mech that he'd thought he'd never see again.

"You're alive," Bee vocalized quietly, confused but not unhappy.

"You sound surprised," the green mech replied, a lopsided grin decorating his faceplates. The scout returned with a small grin, then turned his optics to the blue mech that stood on his other side.

"What happened?"

The blue mech launched into an explanation. It seemed that he and the red mech had met in that supply closet Bee had told the latter to hide in. The blue mech had escaped on his own and had no real plan when he hid, but after finding another escaped Autobot and listening to his plan, he took to it quite readily.

Unfortunately, Bee had been captured, and the two were left on their own to attempt to stay out of the Decepticon's grasp. They couldn't go through with the plan the scout had made, but they managed to survive the day outside of their cells hiding in the many shadows of Kaon. When the cell release finally activated and the troops had called Soundwave up to assist them, they discovered the communications expert's secret lift. It was by complete chance that they found it and used it to go to Soundwave's lab, locating and rescuing Bee in the process.

"But how did you save me from Soundwave?" the scout couldn't help but ask, interrupting the story that currently the red mech was telling. The mech fell silent and actually began looking a bit abashed and the blue mech walked up and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Our red and green friends here got a little angry," the blue mech explained and Bee's expression became immediately surprised, even more so as the mech added, "Green jumped Soundwave before he could blast you. Then Red took a crate and smashed it on the 'Con's helm and while he was disoriented, he snatched you and got you to the ship."

There was a silence in which Bumblebee stared at the red mech incredulously. Then he burst out laughing, his bright laughter cheering up the still dim atmosphere for a few moments before his injuries caught up to him and his voice turned to static. Still, he sat there smiling brightly with gleaming optics.

The red mech looked worried again, "Are you sure we should just turn off his sensors? What if it gets worse but he can't feel it so he doesn't know?" A few of the other mechs-including the green mech- actually looked concerned as they processed that question.

"D-Don't worry. Ratchet w-will fix me up," the scout reassured, though he wasn't entirely sure of his own condition himself. There was a moment of silence in which the other mechs exchanged glances before turning a somewhat guilty expression to Bumblebee.

"We're not going to headquarters, Bee," the blue mech said, and the yellow mech looked at him in surprise. "It would risk giving away the location to our pursuers."

"I h-have to get back," Bumblebee argued. "I need to s-speak to Optimus and g-give him the information I acquired." The scout got to his peds as he spoke, swaying a bit as he approached the blue mech with and entreating expression.

"We can't risk it just for you," the blue mech countered, though not without sympathy.

"You d-don't have to get me all the w-way there," the yellow mech assured. "Someone get me a map."

A mech nearby produced a portable holo-map out of subspace and it was passed forward until it was pressed into his servos. The red mech took it from him once the scout struggled to hold it with his trembling servos, but he took no notice, optics scanning the holo-map eagerly. Reaching forward, he zoomed the digitalized map into a particular section of Iacon. He turned to the blue mech and the others near him.

"Y-You want to head to a m-minor outpost right?" When they nodded he continued. "The closest outpost is h-here"-he gestured- "but there are also ones here, here, and here." He pointed vaguely at their general location, but when all he saw was awe and confusion in their optics he cycled his vents and beckoned the map be held closer.

Bee opened a small window on the map, input some data, and closed it before anyone could see what had been typed. Then he gestured again to those same places only this time small, red Autobot insignias were left in the wake of his servo. The mechs around him were now looking at him in awe again so he ignored them and continued to speak.

"I'd r-recommend either this or this outpost, only watch out because there was large Decepticon m-movement in these places recently," He pointed and added purple Decepticon insignias to the map.

"I w-want to be dropped off here," the scout gestured to a place that was seemingly in the middle of nowhere and small yellow icon not unlike the shape of his helm appeared.

"We can't leave you there! That's nowhere near any entrance to the base!" the red mech protested, the green mech nodding his helm in agreement.

"You're g-going to have to t-trust me," Bee replied, giving them a warm smile.

They eventually gave into the scout's demands and left him where he requested, with half his sensors reactivated- a fact that the red mech could not fully support or protest.

The red and green mechs almost insisted that they go with him, wherever it was he was going, but Bumblebee refused. He wouldn't risk anyone else, especially not his previous cellmates. He gave them one last smile before stepping off the ship. The scout watched the ship until it flew beyond his sight before checking his map and continuing on his way.

Contrary to their beliefs, the place they had dropped Bee off wasn't just in the middle of a pile of rubble, but actually quite close to one of the secret entrances to the base. It was doing quite well to remain a secret judging by the other Autobots' reactions.

It wasn't that far, but the scout wasn't exactly in a condition to move. His optics were periodically accosted with static, and his online sensors were faint and mostly sent signals from his injuries.

But no amount of hazy pain signals bouncing around in his throbbing helm would prevent Bumblebee from getting back to headquarters. Travel was slow going, seeing as transforming was not an option, but eventually with a large amount of careful maneuvering, he reached the dented plate of metal he knew to be the door. He sat down, leaning against it, a shaky servo clutching at the crack in his chassis as he ventilated heavily, tired from traveling in this undesirable state.

But he had made it, Bee thought with a weary smile.

He was home.

AN Bee knows how to make insignias appear on holo-maps, I taught my friends control-F. Same concept! Originally, the green mech was never to be seen again. But I brought him back again, just for a bit of closure. Not much closure, seeing as I still didn't give them names… They left, never to be seen again! Well maybe, if I ever write a sequel maybe they can come back. And I might even give them names…..

ONE MORE CHAPTER! It's kinda like an epilogue… I couldn't decide whether or not I should call it the epilogue or Chapter 8…


	8. Chapter 8

After so long with only Bee (and Soundwave I guess) as canon, it makes me nervous adding other canon characters to the mix. But alas this is how the story concluded when I wrote it not too long ago, and so it shall go. Cue the emotional drama. Kind of.

**Chapter 8/Epilogue**

Optimus' comm. link was busy, _again_. Bee didn't bother wondering if he ever wasn't busy- he already knew the answer was no. Hopefully, he was at a meeting with Ironhide nearby.

The scout pinged the weapons specialist. For a moment, he thought the other wasn't going to respond when abruptly the comm. burst into sound.

"_-Bee! Is that you?! Where've you been, kid?! We've been worried! We sent out a search party after we lost communication-"_

"Ironhide." Bee attempted to interrupt, but the weapons specialist kept talking.

"_-We couldn't find you but we did manage to take out that ambush you warned us about-"_

"Ironhide!"

"_-Where are you kid? Just tell me where and I'll bring the whole army to come and get you-"_

"IRONHIDE!"

"_-…Yeah, kid?-"_

"I don't need the whole army, just you. I'm outside the secret entrance on the south side of headquarters. Could you come and get me?"

"_- Be there soon. Hang in there, kid!-"_

After a brief moment of thought, Bee crawled over to lean against a piece of rubble beside, not in front of the door. He didn't want to get crushed by Ironhide on his way out.

True to his word, the weapons specialist burst through the door in barely a minute. He spotted the scout immediately and moved to his side where he crouched down next to him.

"Primus kid, what happened to you?" Ironhide's normally gruff tones lightened, his concern overlying his initial excitement.

"It's a l-long story and I'd rather only tell it once. C-Can you help me up?" Bumblebee did his best not to sound pitiful, but he felt terrible and it was Ironhide he was talking to, so it didn't really work.

"Sure, kid," the weapons specialist easily hauled him to his feet. It was a temporary thing as the moment he was up, his stabilizers unbalanced and he was leaning heavily on the larger mech before he realized it.

"Wow, Bee, you're really beat up. Is that a _crack_ in your chassis? We need to see Ratchet, now." Before the scout could protest, Ironhide scooped him up in his arms and entered the base, the door automatically closing behind them.

"Wait, 'Hide! I h-have to see Optimus f-first," Bee tried to protest, failing to squirm locked in the larger mech's firm grip.

"Well good thing for you they're both in the same room," the weapons specialist said with a sly grin.

The scout looked at him, momentarily disoriented by pain, then he was confused another moment before he realized, "Y-You just left them in the m-middle of that m-meeting didn't you?"

"Yep," Ironhide replied, grin still in place.

"D-Did you even t-tell them anything?"

"Nope, but you should have seen their faces when I jumped up during the middle of one of Optimus' lectures."

"They p-probably think y-you've finally lost it." The weapons specialist laughed heartily at that and Bee couldn't help but join in, ignoring the pain for a moment.

It made him feel glad to be back.

"I d-don't suppose you're going to let m-me walk through the door on my own?" The scout asked when he realized they were nearing the meeting room.

"I don't suppose you can walk?" Ironhide countered.

"It's a d-definite...possibility," Bumblebee reasoned.

"Then no," Ironhide said with finality. "If your answer's not yes, then my answer is no."

They rounded the last corner and finally approached the door, which they paused at as it had to be opened with a pass-code.

"See? If you put me down then you can enter the code and we can walk in together," Bee suggested.

"Not a chance, kid," Ironhide easily shifted the small yellow mech into one arm, inputing the code and rebalancing him again in both arms before the door even opened.

"I'm back!" Ironhide announced loudly as he entered the room. "And I solved the missing mech problem."

Those who were at the meeting, Optimus Prime, Ratchet, and Jazz turned to the door in surprise.

Jazz was the first to react and he sprang to his peds with a cheerful cry of, "Bee!" He darted up to the mech who was still in the weapons specialist's arms. The scout gave him a smile, but before he could say anything, Ironhide walked past him further into the room.

"This is for you," the weapons specialist said to Ratchet as he deposited Bee abruptly into the medic's arms. The scout hissed in pain and Ratchet quickly readjusted his grip on the mech, before glaring up at Ironhide.

Optimus saved them both from an argument with his approach. When he reached the medic and his patient, he met the scout's dimmer than normal optics.

"Bumblebee, my friend, what has happened to you?"

The yellow mech didn't immediately reply; instead he pulled the memory card from subspace and offered it to his leader. "I g-got this f-for you while I was away. C-Can I t-tell you where I g-got it later? I-" Bee paused in speaking, the pain from the online half of his sensors heightening to a point that he could hardly bear.

"Optimus, I must request that reunions and explanations happen later. He's deeply injured now and I must take him back to the med bay," Ratchet intruded, easily seeing the discomfort growing in the smaller mech.

"Of course Ratchet, you may go immediately. Please keep me updated on his status. And Bumblebee, heal well." The medic nodded and in his arms Bee sketched a shaky salute before they both departed from the room.

"Bumblebee, how bad is the pain? Is it something internal or external?" Ratchet asked as he carried the scout quickly towards the med bay.

"I d-don't know. I c-can't tell," Bee's voice was a bit more than a whisper. "W-we didn't have a m-medic so they turned off h-half m sensors instead."

The medic cursed and walked faster until they finally reached the med bay. He put the scout on the farthest berth, immediately hooking him up to some monitors.

"I need to run a deep scan to see how badly your internal systems have been damaged," Ratchet explained and walked over to a console beside the bedside. He was calibrating the system for the scans, Bumblebee knew, but- _large, dark blue servos reached for the console, the pain spiked and echoed through him- he felt like he was being torn up, ripped into little pieces, and all he wanted to do was die._

Bumblebee couldn't contain a whimper brought one by the sudden onset of bad memories, and he lifted his knees to his chassis and buried his faceplates in his servos.

Ratchet was by his bedside in an instant, "Bumblebee what's wrong? Does something hurt more?"

"N-No, n-no, n-no…" But the scout had began shaking uncontrollably, and his feeble assurances weren't persuasive at all. Ratchet reached for him hesitantly, one large servo placed on his undamaged right shoulder while the other gently grabbed one of the servos covering his face.

"Bee, it could be something serious. I need you to tell me," the medic requested calmly.

"I-It's not s-something physical. It's m-mental, a m-memory," the small yellow mech replied, trying to persuade the medic into going back and doing his scans, but the mech remained steadfast.

"Bee, I'm your doctor, and whatever it is physical or emotional…" Ratchet trailed off, his servos wandering over to the damaged parts of the small mech's frame; when he began pounding the dents out of the injured shoulder, the action was almost subconscious.

"I was in Kaon," Bumblebee said both suddenly and clearly. "And in Kaon, consoles are used to change what level of pain you are about to experience. And when it's Soundwave at the console…"

And Ratchet understood, he knew trauma when he saw it, but still he was at a loss for words. There was silence for a while in which time both avoided each other's gaze and Ratchet had moved down to soldering lines at a lower point in the same arm.

Bumblebee suddenly reached for the medic's servo and Ratchet quickly retracted his blow torch to prevent burning the servo now grabbing his own.

"Ratchet, you need to take those scans, because I'm probably going to die if you don't."

Still, the medic hesitated, knowing the reaction he might cause when calibrating the machine. The fact that such deep scans were usually unpleasant did not help him.

"It's okay Ratchet. You can do it. I trust you." Bumblebee said it with conviction.

"I know you do, Bee. I'll have you fixed up in no time," the medic found his words and went back to the console.

_I trust him. _The scout thought about those words and realized that he knew they were true inside, no matter how damaged his internals may be.

It was then Bumblebee knew everything was going to be alright.

_FIN_

ooooooo

So that was my last chapter/epilogue. The long awaited reunion of Bee and his fellow Autobot was especially fun to write. All is not well that ends well, but nothing ever really has an end.

I actually have a few drabbles based not long after this story that I will probably post soon. They're more of friendship/hurt/comfort than action, but they do show how I perceive the other Autobots and their relations.

Thank you for reading my story, I hope you enjoyed it.


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